Fancy something completely different? Over on Patreon, the full reaction and one week early access to the TH-cam edit of Commando have just been uploaded: www.patreon.com/DawnMarieAnderson
Ps. I recommend the film "Guns at Batasi" it's a great film set mainly at one location around which the story evolves. A masterful example of acting by Lord Richard Attenborourgh my favourite old timey actor. I met him at the house of lords years ago a fantastically energetic man for his age and really nice bloke easy to talk to be told me his proudest film he worked on was "Ghandi" which I would also recommend as a historical epic.
Dawn, it's obvious that you're a really good person, you're husband/partner is a very lucky man. I loved your reaction to these films and this one in particular.
So, sorry Dawn, $$$ is tight and had to temporarily cancel Patreon membership. Loved watching the Marx Bros full-length reactions. And have to get back on to finish watching Fawlty Towers with ya. Took me a while that the full-length reactions are the same as a watch-along . Fun stuff!
I get your point about Fran not really loving Baxter, but loving the idea that he loves her. But this is not a fairy tale. The point is that at the end both Fran and Baxter finally woke up and experienced personal growth. Baxter stood up to Sheldrake for his own dignity. Conversely, Fran walked away from the rich guy who took advantage of her, for the poor guy that loves her, who finally showed he was a man.
If these two characters ended up together, the most likely inevitable scenario is the Shirley McClain character getting bored with the Jack Lemon character and her ending up cheating on him with some alpha chad.
@@KrazyKat007 But that's still not the point. Shirley McClain explained both of their issues in the middle of the movie. "Some people are takers and other people get took, and know they're being taken..." And still allow it. The end of the movie showed Baxter finally not allowing himself to be took and showed Fran finally not allowing herself to be took.... Regardless of whether they work out, Baxter finally showed himself to be a man. And Vice versa for Fran.
I think Miss Kubilic did love Baxter, she just didn't realize it until she heard that he gave up everything for her. She had grown to like him throughout the movie, This is a great classic movie.
The ending to this is totally satisfying. Both Fran and Baxter escape the corporate jungle and the predators who inhabit it. I first saw this when I was sixteen, in 1964, and I loved it. Then, I saw it again in 1975. I had some battle scars by then, and I understood Miss Kubilik's predicament all too well. I've seen "The Apartment" several times since then and it has aged very, very well. This is a great movie.
Fran suddenly realized that she really loved CC Baxter when Mr. Sheldrake told her the story of what happened earlier that day. She was so excited when she realized that CC Baxter cared more for her than having a highly paid executive position with the company. Fran had never met a man who could love her for herself rather than mistreat her like every man she had ever known. I would like to think Fran and CC will be very happy together as husband and wife. Please watch It Happened One Night. I promise you’ll like it. It’s black and white…..
Respectfully, I think you may be misinterpreting the ending somewhat. Keep in mind that when Ms Kubelik ran away from Mr. Sheldrake, she was still under the impression he had left his wife intentionally. You also have to remember that she had previously thought that Baxter was taking care of her to mostly to help Mr. Sheldrake. So when she found out that Baxter loved her, she immediately chose him over Sheldrake, who was in her mind now free and about to marry her. If she'd gone back to Baxter after Sheldrake went back to his wife or started having an affair with another woman, i'd have agreed with your assessment of the ending. Also, give her props for leaving a wealthy and powerful man for a guy who is freshly unemployed and starting over. In those days a woman's financial future was still pretty much wrapped up in a man, and she was almost certainly out of a job too. So she kind of walked away from a man who could give her everything for a man who basically had nothing. That's a pretty big deal. I say she really did love him as much as he loved her. And one more point, it's true that she was carrying on with a married man. But it is also true that he was helping men cheat on their wives in order to advance his own career. And when he got his promotion, he tried to leverage his authority to get her a better job in order to get a date from her. So while they were both basically nice people, I'd say they had both equally been lured into awful sleaziness, so I think it really work that they decided to become better people together.
The issue isn't what she thought, it's what she felt. If she spent the entire movie in love with Sheldrake, it doesn't make sense that she could suddenly love someone else instead.
Elevators used to be complicated machines that needed someone to control the lifting mechanism, closing of the outer door and the safety door and then operating the motor to the exact height of a floor based on a line marker seen through a small window by the operator only. I was on one of these when I was a kids (late 60's)... it was an antique then and one of the last ones. But the operators belonged to a strong union and managed to keep their jobs well after all the automation was installed... I guess they were considered a necessary presence, a safety feature in an enclosed place in case of emergency.
That's what I loved about Billy Wilder, he dipped his toe into all sorts of movie genres and was masterful with all of them. His special forte was dark comedy. Billy Wilder's 1951 film "Ace In The Hole" with Kirk Douglas is another sharply written and acted tour de force.
I'm surprised how hard you were on Fran. It wasn't Baxter she "thought" she was in love with, it was Sheldrake. He basically gaslit her by feeding her lies about being in love with her and leaving his wife. Whereas Baxter always put her before himself. When she realized all of that, she immediately went to Baxter. This film was bold in calling out male culture of the time. The executives in this movie thought nothing of taking advantage of decent but underprivileged women like Fran. And it showed how such women often had little choice but to go along with the whims of powerful men. This film had absolutely the right ending because it showed a woman breaking out of that cycle.
Surprised Dawn didn't like the relationship. I think Fran , granted fairly quickly, figured out that for the first time, a Man truly cared for her, and she realized she did have value, was worth loving. And I think she did love Mr Baxter.
This is my favorite movie, and the ending is part of it. What is amazing about the movie is the way that it combines certain unreal elements, with main characters who are damaged in very real ways. Jack Lemmon is so likable that it is easy to overlook that he is facilitating other people's affairs so that he can advance at his job over other people who work at the job. Shirley Maclaine manages to capture someone who knows she is doing the wrong thing, feels horrible about it, and does it anyway. That is until she finds out that Baxter doesn't hate her, and is fact still in love with her. I have seen this movie a number of times and always worry that she will make the wrong choice at the end. The characters are so real that even knowing how it ends I worry that it will be different the next time. What is so perfect about the ending is that she resists jumping into love, and responds to his profession of love with "shut up and deal". In fact all of the movies you watched have perfect endings. The final line of Sunset Boulevarde is melodramatic and over the top, like the movie. The final line of Some Like It Hot is funny and gender bending like the movie. And this one perfectly resists the romcom ending, like this movie. Two more of Wilder's movies that you would probably like, because they are different than these movies in style, but the same in the way they are directed, are Stalag 17 (starring the guy from Sunset Boulevard) and Witness for the Prosecution, a courtroom drama whose ending you won't guess.
Growing up, Fred MacMurray was the dad on My Three Sons, the most upright and square guy possible. Only years later did I see him playing cads as in this one, Double Indemnity and The Caine Mutiny.
I always thought they weren't together at the end though. They are friends for sure. They didnt share a kiss yet so the romance is still just a possibilty. But they will help each become better people.
In regards to Fran, I suggest you re watch the movie. She's told at the party that she's just the new woman Sheldrake is stringing along. Then after Baxter finds her in The Apartment, he takes care of her and shields from blame not only with the doctor but her brother in law. Finally, when she's told by Sheldrake that Baxter refuses to let him use the apartment and quits over it, she knows Baxter loves her.
Jack Lemmon had a talent for getting himself cast in great movies. He was paired with Walter Matthau in the Billy Wilder comedy The Fortune Cookie. He played the character of Felix Unger on screen, again opposite Walter Matthau in the original film version of The Odd Couple. He was the "harmless" Ensign Pulver in the wartime comedy/drama Mr Roberts. He put on a black cloak and a twirly mustache to play an over-the-top villain in The Great Race. Much later in life, he reunited with Matthau for Grumpy Old Men and its sequel. He was in the film version of the savage play Glengary Glen Ross. ALL great movies people should see. One Billy Wilder film that often gets overlooked is Stalag 17, which like the last three you just watched, is an entirely different kind of movie. Stalag 17 is a sort of suspense/comedy set in a WWII POW camp.
"Out To Sea" was another teaming with Walter Matthau in which they played so well off each other. I actually was a bodyguard for them both at a special event and you could tell how much they enjoyed each other's company.
Fran saw how Mr. Baxter saved her life, took the blame for her condition, let her brother-in-law beat him up, and left his job, all to protect her. She knows that Mr. Baxter REALLY DOES care about her. And she wants true love, not lies.
Another great, heartfelt reaction! But I disagree about the ending. Fran isn't captivated by Baxter's being in love with her. She's gone through hell. She's compromised herself with a married man. She's let herself believe a slimeball really wants to be with her. She's gone to the extreme point of attempting to take her own life. She's no longer the naif who'll continue with Sheldrake, after she learns his wife kicked him to the curb. She knows she loves Baxter. She's matured at the cost of nearly dying. Wilder wouldn't have portrayed her attempted suicide, only to have her continue on as completely self delusional. Showing an attempted suicide was a shocking thing in 1960. Wilder definitely showed her as a changed person.
She left Shelldrake without knowing his wife dumped him, I think? Which makes it seem more like she does love Baxter, rather than his being second choice.
Missed the whole point of the movie. The ending (along with the screenplay) is what makes this film great. The fact that they both took huge steps toward positive growth and we don't know exactly how their relationship goes, is what makes the ending great. Easily one of the 10 best American films made before 1970.
You're assuming that Baxter and Fran end up 'together', but Fran's last line is, "Just shut up and deal," which I think suggests that it's much more open-ended than that. The key point is that both of them have grown up by the end of the movie.
Fran wasn't darting through the streets to celebrate her maturity. She did grow, and as part of that, also realized she loved Baxter. She told him to shut up and deal because neither had to explain themselves to each other.
Actually, having an elevator attendant was a good idea. It allowed one person to push the button for the floors when the elevator crowded, so that people wouldn't have to be reaching over each other to push the button. Especially the people in the back part. Sometimes I wish they still had that today. It keeps things more organized. (There's a local reason behind these types of things most of the time.)
Shirley McClain was SO cute, sexy, unusual, funny and such a great actress! She was also one of the VERY few (like 2) female members of the infamous, hard-partying Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. Sister of Warren Beatty. 🎉❤
Baxter perpetuates the lie about being a "serial date" for several reasons. At the time this story is set (early '60's), if his landlady found out he was allowing other people to use his apartment for sex, he could get evicted, whereas if he's the one entertaining women, it's his own business and he'd be left alone. (There's a similar reason why all the executives want to use his apartment rather than go to a hotel - besides the fact they're all cheap, at that time adultery was a prosecutable crime in NYC, and most hotels had a house detective who, if they suspected a couple checking in were not married, would tip off the cops, so they needed someplace private like an apartment.) More importantly, he likes being perceived as a lothario by his neighbors because he is such a boring nebbish in real life. Baxter is one of thousands of ordinary men in a huge office that most wouldn't give a second glance to, and at the beginning of the movie, he has no real personality of his own. Notice how he keeps borrowing phrases he hears from other people, like adding "-wise" to nouns the way his superiors do, or bellowing "O-U-T" to Miss Kubelik the way the barkeep kicked him out. His logic is that to use the manner of those who dominate him will elevate him. So even if his neighbors think he's a heel for having so many women (as they perceive it), it's better than being a nobody. But he does have an innate morality to him that, his eviction fears aside, he sticks to the lie because he accepts that the price of looking like a heartbreaker is that people will disapprove, to the point that someone is gonna punch him in the nose. And when he does get hit and Dr. Dreyfus says, "You had it coming," he agrees with him spiritually - he may not have been a cheater with women, but he aspired to material and sexual power rather than be a good person, and now he's wiser. Plus, if he did tell about Miss Kubelik being involved with his boss, it would put her in a bad light with her brother-in-law, since he already has a low opinion of her (he berates her saying "Your sister thinks you're a lady"), so by accepting being the villain and not passing the buck, he's "taken one for the team" and that's why he says he's feeling no pain from the punch. It may be the first time he's done something completely selfless. The timeline for the movie is arguably a few months. It begins around September, since the summer vacation affair is being referenced as still very recent. It jumps to Christmas Eve, when Miss Kubelik overdoses, then everything else unfolds during that week between Xmas and the 31st. As for the ending, I don't think they get together. They're just going to be better company for each other this particular New Year's Eve night, and that's good enough.
Some trivia: the elevator supervisor with the clicker, seen in this reaction at 20:52, is played by Lynn Cartwright who years later would be the older version of Geena Davis in A League of Their Own. Cartwright was also in two bizarre cult films, The Wasp Woman and Queen of Outer Space.
Perfect script, perfect cast, perfect balance between romance and drama, and a perfect and extremely satisfying ending. Not to mention one of, if not the most gorgeous cinematography in black and white that I've seen. If you do not finish this movie with a smile from ear to ear there's something really wrong. 62 years later and still one of the greatest creations of humanity, cinema-wise. Thank you Billy Wilder
I think you're under estimating the characters at the end. I always assumed that she grew more fond of Jack Lemon's character as he cared for her and less impressed by the indifference of Fred McMurray's character. When she finds out all the facts from him on New Year's eve, she realizes who she really loves. I think you may just be frustrated by her constant bad choices. Although Billy Wilder is one of the all-time great directors, his films were always a bit dark. He left Europe ahead of the Nazis, after all. I'd say this one is 80% dark/20% comedy, where Some Like it Hot is 10/90. His Irma La Deuce is more comedy, but Double Indemnity (also starring Fred McMurray) is as serious as a heart attack. So is Stalag 17. Witness for the Prosecution is a great courtroom drama. The Fortune Cookie is another great Wilder/Lemon comedy. So much excellent work over so many years!
Another interesting appliance in the movie was that electric blanket on Baxter's bed. If I'm not mistaken, judging by the look of the control box it's a General Electric model, circa 1950. Those were real electric blankets, built to just go and go, unlike the shoddy third world crap they sell nowadays.
What a shitty reaction to a beautiful ending and a wonderful film. One of my favourites. The good guy got the girl in the end and for your information, the bad guy like Sheldrake, a married man, chased Fran. She didn't choose him, but in the end, she chose Baxter, her knight in shining armour who came to her rescue. She found a man who not only genuinely loved her, but wouldn't hurt her. Who wouldn't? Better than the cheap thrills she was giving Sheldrake. This film deserved the Best Picture Oscar that it won. I don't think you have a romantic bone in your body.
The first elevators, especially in department stores, were activated by pushing down on a big metal lever (usually done by a woman wearing white gloves). When it hit your floor, she would pull a grating back and let you out. Even when the more modern elevators came around, the tradition of an elevator operator was well established.
The story you wanted is “Sabrina”, whether you watch the 1954 Billy Wilder version with Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey Hepburn (her third major role) or the 1995 Sydney Pollock version with Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, and Julia Ormond. Billy Wilder is the principal writer either way, and both are excellently done. In fact, you should do them back to back as a set-you won't regret it.
@@PhillipHoskyn Oh I love this movie. Roman Holiday however is my favorite Audrey Hepburn directed by William Wyler and also starring Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert. It's funny and very deeply romantic in a beautiful way.
DAWN would enjoy these two Billy Wilder films: *SABRINA* (1954) and *STALAG 17* (1953) both starring the actor of Sunset Boulevard (William Holden) which Dawn liked very much.
I loved Sabrina but only the 1954 version. The remake was not that good. Sydney Pollak even admitted that he never should have made it. Julia Ormond is fine as an actress but can't compare to Audrey Hepburn.
I wouldn't be too angry about the ending, Dawn. This is what you would call an open ended movie (like "The Thing") because Baxter said he loves her and she said nothing back. Their relationship may not work out because she's young and impetuous, but then again, maybe they both get their heads on straight and it all ends happily ever after.
Yeah, liked that "let's play cards" ending, It's not a forced "let's kiss and be together forever." but also not the modern "everyone is sad, a dog dies, the end." ending. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, cookiewise.
Best description of the ending. They aren’t together but they are both pulling away from being taken advantage of. It’s a hopeful ending, not necessarily a romantic ending.
The ending is just right. They are two misfits who finally decide to man and woman up, accept that their horrible decisions and actions are soul destroying, and move on into reality. Maybe they'll prove unsuitable, but they've taken steps to see things as they really are. The "she's in love with idea that someone loves her" is all very trendy therapeutic, but it doesn't fit the characters here. She tried to off herself. Wilder had a certain moral sense, he wasn't interested in totally lost characters.
Jack Lemmon was a wonderful and funny actor especially the later comedy films he done with Walter matthau ie the 2 odd couple films and the 2 grumpy old men films.
A charming Billy Wilder film (in color!) is the 1955 “The Seven Year Itch” based on a play. Marilyn is in it and is adorable. It is not as overall hilarious as Some Like it Hot, but has many really funny scenes, lines and characters. Recommended!
She wouldn't like _The Seven Year Itch._ It's about a married man who fantasies he's having an affair with the woman who lives above his apartment who happens to be Marilyn Monroe. She'd hate it.
@@gaynor1721 maybe. But since when are fantasies not part of life? Don’t most people have fantasies? Is it wrong to have fantasies? He learns at the end that his heart truly lies with his wife and his “7 year itch” is gone without ever actually doing anything. It also seems pretty clear that despite his fantasies, he would never act on it.
Another thing about the ending. . .Billy Wilder said that at the end of the story, build up the action to the last big event. . .Then that's it. End it. Don't hang around with the characters going over things and explaining things. Just end it and get out. And that's what happened with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine at the end. Wilder was saying that maybe they've really found each other, and they'll see how things work out. The End. No deep discussion of what this all means for them. Like in real life, they'll just see how it goes. And as a viewer I'm left hoping it works. But Wilder just ends it and you're left with your own impression of whether it will work or not. Love your reactions, they're so much better than the others I've watched lately!
It was the BEST ending ever. She was in love with the married boss but Shelldrake didn't give a sh*t about Shirley Maclaine. So she went back to Jack Lemmon who loved her and in the end she did fall in love with him (even though that's after the movie ends but you know they lived happily ever after.) This movie is about couples where the love is one way but maybe that's enough. You should check out a young Shirley Maclaine in the Hitchcock movie The Trouble With Harry. This is a Wilder classic!
She finally understood his love for her, and allowed herself to stop being with "the wrong type of man" and looks to give herself the chance to love "the right type of man"... The story ends with the Promise of Happiness for both of them...
In MY version of the movie, Fran loves Buddy. It takes her a long time to realise it because she's getting over her miserable affair with Mr Sheldrake (Sheldrake was Billy Wilder's lucky name, he used it in at least three movies -- also he kept making movies about insurance, which is weird -- see also Double Indemnity and The Fortune Cookie.)
I think what she found, in the end, was a friend, and someone who also gave up being "taken" by the same person she was "taken" in by. Playing gin rummy is not falling in love. It's just they took the same step...and on New Year's Eve.
I just love the enthusiasm you show whatever it is yer watching, so thank you for that. I hope one day to see your big grin while watching Moonstruck and Four Weddings & A Funeral.
Thank you so much for reacting to movies that so few other channels do, especially The Apartment, which is one of my all time favorites. I even liked your take on the ending. As much as I love this movie, and as much as I want those two together, in the back of my mind I have never been as convinced as I want to be of Fran's feelings for Baxter. Keep up the great work.
Loved this movie and love your reaction..maybe she doesn't deserve him but he gets what he wants and deserves..I personally think they're perfect for each other..
Two more things. 1. This is the official New Year's Eve film. In the same vein in which Its a Wonderful Life is the Christmas movie, and Saving Private Ryan is the Memorial Day movie. 2. Ms. Kubelik when asked at the end; "What about Mr. Sheldrake?" Fran: "WE'LL send him a fruitcake every Christmas." Thats her way of telling Baxter she loves him. They are TOGETHER.
Just so you understand, this was a real thing people in New York did. These married executives did not live in New York city, they took the train into the city everyday. And a lot of workers would have apartments in the city and their bosses would use their apartments for "dates". They used to cover this topic on the television show Mad Men a lot.
Well, she thought Sheldrake was what she wanted and she went through a lot of shit pursuing him and she had a (slim) reason to believe she found security. She threw it away for Baxter. I take your point that it may not last but you have to admit that Baxter, at least for now, is one happy boy. I saw this shortly after it was released when I was 9 years old. I fell madly in love with Shirley McClain. One of my favorite Christmas movies.
Fran is being more careful at the end of the movie "relationshipwise". She's not telling Baxter she loves him until she feels safe to do so. Hence: "Shut up and deal".
Couldn't disagree with you more about the ending. It was well established that the 2 main characters caught up in situations not of their choosing because they always get pushed around. They are put together when both are smack dab in the middle of their dysfunctional lives. Speaking as someone like them, it's very difficult to admit to yourself that you ade in a dysfunctional relationship let alone have the strength to extricate yourself. And through just a few days they extricate themselves and find each other. One if my favorite Xmas movies
One of my favorite movies and actors: Jack Lemon :))) I think all this poor girl wanted was someone to love and someone who would love her back. I think she truly loved and liked Bud. Women who believe they don`t deserve better always pick the wrong men. Fran was convinced that someone like Bud could never love her. By saving her life and caring for her so wholeheartedly, he proved his true love for her. Of course, she fell in love with him... Who wouldn`t?!
Another option is “Ninotchka” (1939) a comedy written by Billy Wilder but directed by the man who Billy considered his great mentor-Ernst Lubitsch. (Another dark-ish comedy with some very famous lines.)
I'm a voracious fan of the movies. I was born in 1969, and so i grew up in the 1970s, onwards, going to the movie theaters once a week, every week from the 1970s-1980s, as well as watching all sorts of movies on the TV. Movies from the 1910s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, etc. What amazes me about your channel are the movies you're seeing for the very first time. Not only have I seen about 90 percent of the movies you list, but Ive seen most of them at least dozens of times over the years. Some of them I saw in the movie theaters when they first came out (such as Superman, National Lampoons Vacation, The Thing, etc.) I guess I have a hard time grasping the fact that there are generations of people out there that, even if they're movie fans, are seeing many of these movies for the very first time. I would have thought everyone else has seen all the movies I've seen, especially the really classic classics like The Apartment, Rear Window, Some Like It Hot, Duck Soup, A Night At The Opera, Miracle on 34th Street, Casablanca, Frankenstein, The Exorcist, etc.
Another B&W Billy Wilder movie where morally ambiguous relationships take a central roll is Witness for the Prosecution. Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich star and it's fantastic! You won't be disappointed!
The file wheel on dude's desk is called a rolodex. It contains many cards with names addresses and telephone numbers. They were still in use throughout my childhood in the fifties and into the sixties. I am particularly fond of the rolodex and it's practical use.
Love is where you find it. The two leads grew up a lot. Fran realized she met her “nice guy” already. She also realized that he grew up and broke with Sheldrake. Why can’t she?
The ending doesn't really say that they just became a couple like that maybe they start off from that point and take it slow enough to learn if they should be a couple
Wow. Pretty harsh, Dawn Marie. You don't think it might be possible that after constantly picking the wrong kind of guys, she saw that he loved her for herself and was just the kind of guy she needed? I always thought it was a nice ending.
Now My Favorite Wife, Roman Holiday, Dial M for Murder, and Rope. Double Indemnity and Sabrina. Hopscotch. Mr. Roberts and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter
One of those movies that made a big impact on me as a young fellow. I was sprouting into my teens when I saw it first and Shirley Maclaine utterly captivated me, so I am sure that is a part of why I remember it so fondly :) But why is it I remember the champagne bottle popping scene so clearly? :mysterious X-Files music plays:
Man, you’re harder on Fran than you are on Baxter, who’s selling out to be a big shot. Actually, both have learned some hard lessons so I think they have a chance, but I’m a romantic and Shirley MacLaine is adorable in this! Great movie, thanks for sharing.
The elevator doors back then were not automatic like they are now. So, people would forget to shut the door, and then the elevator would be stuck. We had the same problem with the freight elevator at work. Normally, only certain people operated it, so they always made sure the doors shut. But, when we'd have contractors in the building, and the passenger elevator was down, we'd have to put a man to operate the elevator, or we'd have to constantly walk the stairs to shut the doors to get the elevator back in service.
Fred MacMurray, who played Sheldrake, drew the ire by a number of women after this movie. They really hated his character. One woman threatened him with bodily harm. Now, that's acting!
His daughter told of a time a woman slapped him. She then said “That wasn’t a kids movie.” He said “No, it wasn’t.” He had done so many family friendly movies that people had come to expect it of him. The lady had thought since he was in it, it must be alright for kids, and taken her child to see it. After she left, Fred said “Never again.” He had only done the role because Billy Wilder asked him to. Oddly enough, some of his best performances were playing darker roles, and those movies were very successful.
Dammit, Dawn, now you've got me questioning my love for this movie and the ending line, "Shut up and deal." I interpret it as no need to talk about love, because it's obvious how they both feel.
You're right, Dawn didn't get the ending. "Shut up and deal" means they don't have to explain themselves to each other. They've both done really shi**y things. She almost died on account of it. He's thrown away his livelihood. She didn't go through that to continue deluding herself. Wilder wasn't that kind of storyteller.
You should watch the Best Years of Our Lives. It's William Wyler. Not Billy Wilder. This is. a great movie about 3 men returning home after WW2 . It's one of the best movies ever.
I've no idea but I think the point was that Fran realized that she did love Baxter. It was the 1960s though, so they had very different ideas about relationships.
Why are people down, and or changing this ending in the comments? Ms. Kubelik is running towards the apartment at the end TO BE with Baxter. Not to be his friend, or 'good company'. Ms. Kubelik told Baxter after her suicide attempt, "Why cant I fall for somebody nice, like you"" The guy she wants, is not the guy she NEEDS, the guy she cant 'see'. The guy she cant see is right smack in front of her. So, she becomes the first woman in world history to ditch the bad boy for THE NICE GUY. Thats what makes this film realistic. A nebbishy nice guy is NEVER any girl's first choice. Guys like that have a very difficult time with women. While the bad boys have them at their beck and call. Hes only thought of, if ever, years later by women who think back and refelct, 'That was a good guy, I couldve been with, but I never gave him a second thought'. Ms. Kubelik is not letting the nice guy get away. And for once,.............. the universe is in balance. But, this only happens in the movies.
Polyamory is what you’re thinking of. Here’s what I think about this movie. It’s a drama, and it is wise to place it in the context of the time it was made. Back in those days, women very much sought out men not for love but for security and prospects. She fell “in love” not for him but for security. When she learned that Baxter was actually a more secure bet than Sheldrake then she chose Baxter. Baxter actually loved Fran romantically. Fran “loved” Baxter for his security.
There is a musical version of this as a play. One of my favorite songs is I'll Never Fall in Love Again. "What do you get when you kiss a girl? You get enough germs to catch pneumonia and after you do, she'll never phone you. I'll never fall in love again. I think the ending shows that both of them mature and realize they like each other and enjoy each other's company. So the movie ends with them playing gin rummy instead of footsie. They want to get to know each other and have a normal rather than sexual attraction that can grow into something permanent.
Polyamory is not “wrong” and coupledom is not “wrong”, but yes, people get hurt in polyamorous relationships, but people get hurt in coupled relationships.
The outside staircase in front of the building was also used in When Harry met Sally. Both plots have a link. I wont spoil it, but you should watch these two movies back to back especially on New Years Eve
4:43 That thing is called a Rolodex, and it's basically the contacts list on your cell phone, but the '60s version, lol. You store business cards and other contact info in it.
Fancy something completely different? Over on Patreon, the full reaction and one week early access to the TH-cam edit of Commando have just been uploaded: www.patreon.com/DawnMarieAnderson
That was really good I remember watching this year's ago. A great choice.
Ps. I recommend the film "Guns at Batasi" it's a great film set mainly at one location around which the story evolves. A masterful example of acting by Lord Richard Attenborourgh my favourite old timey actor. I met him at the house of lords years ago a fantastically energetic man for his age and really nice bloke easy to talk to be told me his proudest film he worked on was "Ghandi" which I would also recommend as a historical epic.
Dawn, it's obvious that you're a really good person, you're husband/partner is a very lucky man.
I loved your reaction to these films and this one in particular.
So, sorry Dawn, $$$ is tight and had to temporarily cancel Patreon membership. Loved watching the Marx Bros full-length reactions. And have to get back on to finish watching Fawlty Towers with ya. Took me a while that the full-length reactions are the same as a watch-along . Fun stuff!
*That's a happy ending in the 50s-60s. That's why half of them divorced by the 70s-80s.* The other half stayed together because Catholicism.
I get your point about Fran not really loving Baxter, but loving the idea that he loves her. But this is not a fairy tale. The point is that at the end both Fran and Baxter finally woke up and experienced personal growth. Baxter stood up to Sheldrake for his own dignity. Conversely, Fran walked away from the rich guy who took advantage of her, for the poor guy that loves her, who finally showed he was a man.
If these two characters ended up together, the most likely inevitable scenario is the Shirley McClain character getting bored with the Jack Lemon character and her ending up cheating on him with some alpha chad.
@@KrazyKat007 But that's still not the point. Shirley McClain explained both of their issues in the middle of the movie. "Some people are takers and other people get took, and know they're being taken..." And still allow it. The end of the movie showed Baxter finally not allowing himself to be took and showed Fran finally not allowing herself to be took....
Regardless of whether they work out, Baxter finally showed himself to be a man. And Vice versa for Fran.
@@mikedbigame3398 If only human beings were as simple as the are in the movies.
@@KrazyKat007 Well... I guess, she was over with the alpha thing, for the rest of her life...
I think Miss Kubilic did love Baxter, she just didn't realize it until she heard that he gave up everything for her. She had grown to like him throughout the movie, This is a great classic movie.
The ending to this is totally satisfying. Both Fran and Baxter escape the corporate jungle and the predators who inhabit it. I first saw this when I was sixteen, in 1964, and I loved it. Then, I saw it again in 1975. I had some battle scars by then, and I understood Miss Kubilik's predicament all too well. I've seen "The Apartment" several times since then and it has aged very, very well. This is a great movie.
Fran suddenly realized that she really loved CC Baxter when Mr. Sheldrake told her the story of what happened earlier that day. She was so excited when she realized that CC Baxter cared more for her than having a highly paid executive position with the company. Fran had never met a man who could love her for herself rather than mistreat her like every man she had ever known. I would like to think Fran and CC will be very happy together as husband and wife.
Please watch It Happened One Night. I promise you’ll like it. It’s black and white…..
It Happened One Night. One of the first, and arguably the best road movie ever made.
@@DavidB-2268and my gal Friday!!!!!!!
She doesn't even know him. She only loves the way he loves her. Ms Dawn nailed it. Worst ending ever.
Definitely watch 'It happened one night' an amazing film, still relevant, so much more relevant than Marvel.
👍It Happened One Night ❤
Respectfully, I think you may be misinterpreting the ending somewhat. Keep in mind that when Ms Kubelik ran away from Mr. Sheldrake, she was still under the impression he had left his wife intentionally. You also have to remember that she had previously thought that Baxter was taking care of her to mostly to help Mr. Sheldrake. So when she found out that Baxter loved her, she immediately chose him over Sheldrake, who was in her mind now free and about to marry her. If she'd gone back to Baxter after Sheldrake went back to his wife or started having an affair with another woman, i'd have agreed with your assessment of the ending. Also, give her props for leaving a wealthy and powerful man for a guy who is freshly unemployed and starting over. In those days a woman's financial future was still pretty much wrapped up in a man, and she was almost certainly out of a job too. So she kind of walked away from a man who could give her everything for a man who basically had nothing. That's a pretty big deal. I say she really did love him as much as he loved her.
And one more point, it's true that she was carrying on with a married man. But it is also true that he was helping men cheat on their wives in order to advance his own career. And when he got his promotion, he tried to leverage his authority to get her a better job in order to get a date from her. So while they were both basically nice people, I'd say they had both equally been lured into awful sleaziness, so I think it really work that they decided to become better people together.
Perfect explanation of the ending!
@@melanie62954 I think "Shut up and deal!" is more succinct, though.
@@melanie62954 thank you.
@@flarrfan 😆🤣
The issue isn't what she thought, it's what she felt. If she spent the entire movie in love with Sheldrake, it doesn't make sense that she could suddenly love someone else instead.
Elevators used to be complicated machines that needed someone to control the lifting mechanism, closing of the outer door and the safety door and then operating the motor to the exact height of a floor based on a line marker seen through a small window by the operator only. I was on one of these when I was a kids (late 60's)... it was an antique then and one of the last ones. But the operators belonged to a strong union and managed to keep their jobs well after all the automation was installed... I guess they were considered a necessary presence, a safety feature in an enclosed place in case of emergency.
That's what I loved about Billy Wilder, he dipped his toe into all sorts of movie genres and was masterful with all of them. His special forte was dark comedy.
Billy Wilder's 1951 film "Ace In The Hole" with Kirk Douglas is another sharply written and acted tour de force.
Yes, Dawn! See "Ace in the Hole"!
I'm surprised how hard you were on Fran. It wasn't Baxter she "thought" she was in love with, it was Sheldrake. He basically gaslit her by feeding her lies about being in love with her and leaving his wife. Whereas Baxter always put her before himself. When she realized all of that, she immediately went to Baxter.
This film was bold in calling out male culture of the time. The executives in this movie thought nothing of taking advantage of decent but underprivileged women like Fran. And it showed how such women often had little choice but to go along with the whims of powerful men. This film had absolutely the right ending because it showed a woman breaking out of that cycle.
Tiffany Lamps…. Considered an antique today. Still popular
Shout out to the late great character actor Jack Kruschen (the doctor), who was nominated for a " Best Supporting Actor" AA for this movie.
He was great here, but also showed a nice moment of tenderness for Maureen O'Hara's character in McClintock.
Thanks! Mr. Kruschen was always great in whatever role you saw him in!
Surprised Dawn didn't like the relationship. I think Fran , granted fairly quickly, figured out that for the first time, a Man truly cared for her, and she realized she did have value, was worth loving. And I think she did love Mr Baxter.
This is my favorite movie, and the ending is part of it. What is amazing about the movie is the way that it combines certain unreal elements, with main characters who are damaged in very real ways. Jack Lemmon is so likable that it is easy to overlook that he is facilitating other people's affairs so that he can advance at his job over other people who work at the job. Shirley Maclaine manages to capture someone who knows she is doing the wrong thing, feels horrible about it, and does it anyway. That is until she finds out that Baxter doesn't hate her, and is fact still in love with her. I have seen this movie a number of times and always worry that she will make the wrong choice at the end. The characters are so real that even knowing how it ends I worry that it will be different the next time.
What is so perfect about the ending is that she resists jumping into love, and responds to his profession of love with "shut up and deal". In fact all of the movies you watched have perfect endings. The final line of Sunset Boulevarde is melodramatic and over the top, like the movie. The final line of Some Like It Hot is funny and gender bending like the movie. And this one perfectly resists the romcom ending, like this movie.
Two more of Wilder's movies that you would probably like, because they are different than these movies in style, but the same in the way they are directed, are Stalag 17 (starring the guy from Sunset Boulevard) and Witness for the Prosecution, a courtroom drama whose ending you won't guess.
Growing up, Fred MacMurray was the dad on My Three Sons, the most upright and square guy possible. Only years later did I see him playing cads as in this one, Double Indemnity and The Caine Mutiny.
I always thought they weren't together at the end though. They are friends for sure. They didnt share a kiss yet so the romance is still just a possibilty. But they will help each become better people.
I like the phrase “ring a ding ding”! It’s so 1960s.
In regards to Fran, I suggest you re watch the movie. She's told at the party that she's just the new woman Sheldrake is stringing along. Then after Baxter finds her in The Apartment, he takes care of her and shields from blame not only with the doctor but her brother in law. Finally, when she's told by Sheldrake that Baxter refuses to let him use the apartment and quits over it, she knows Baxter loves her.
Jack Lemmon had a talent for getting himself cast in great movies. He was paired with Walter Matthau in the Billy Wilder comedy The Fortune Cookie. He played the character of Felix Unger on screen, again opposite Walter Matthau in the original film version of The Odd Couple. He was the "harmless" Ensign Pulver in the wartime comedy/drama Mr Roberts. He put on a black cloak and a twirly mustache to play an over-the-top villain in The Great Race. Much later in life, he reunited with Matthau for Grumpy Old Men and its sequel. He was in the film version of the savage play Glengary Glen Ross. ALL great movies people should see.
One Billy Wilder film that often gets overlooked is Stalag 17, which like the last three you just watched, is an entirely different kind of movie. Stalag 17 is a sort of suspense/comedy set in a WWII POW camp.
Don't forget his other Oscar winning performance in "Save The Tiger."
plus my fav. The Out- of- towners
@@anthonywopaness2927love him in that! What a wonderful actor!!
"Out To Sea" was another teaming with Walter Matthau in which they played so well off each other. I actually was a bodyguard for them both at a special event and you could tell how much they enjoyed each other's company.
Fran saw how Mr. Baxter saved her life, took the blame for her condition, let her brother-in-law beat him up, and left his job, all to protect her. She knows that Mr. Baxter REALLY DOES care about her. And she wants true love, not lies.
Another great, heartfelt reaction! But I disagree about the ending. Fran isn't captivated by Baxter's being in love with her. She's gone through hell. She's compromised herself with a married man. She's let herself believe a slimeball really wants to be with her. She's gone to the extreme point of attempting to take her own life. She's no longer the naif who'll continue with Sheldrake, after she learns his wife kicked him to the curb. She knows she loves Baxter. She's matured at the cost of nearly dying. Wilder wouldn't have portrayed her attempted suicide, only to have her continue on as completely self delusional. Showing an attempted suicide was a shocking thing in 1960. Wilder definitely showed her as a changed person.
She left Shelldrake without knowing his wife dumped him, I think? Which makes it seem more like she does love Baxter, rather than his being second choice.
Missed the whole point of the movie. The ending (along with the screenplay) is what makes this film great. The fact that they both took huge steps toward positive growth and we don't know exactly how their relationship goes, is what makes the ending great. Easily one of the 10 best American films made before 1970.
It's called coming to your senses and finally realising what love is. They are perfect together it is the only ending that there could be.
You're assuming that Baxter and Fran end up 'together', but Fran's last line is, "Just shut up and deal," which I think suggests that it's much more open-ended than that. The key point is that both of them have grown up by the end of the movie.
Fran wasn't darting through the streets to celebrate her maturity. She did grow, and as part of that, also realized she loved Baxter. She told him to shut up and deal because neither had to explain themselves to each other.
I thought "Shut up & deal" was just a reaction to his line about "adoring" her. Like, take it down a notch, will ya fella? Kind of sophisticated
Actually, having an elevator attendant was a good idea. It allowed one person to push the button for the floors when the elevator crowded, so that people wouldn't have to be reaching over each other to push the button. Especially the people in the back part. Sometimes I wish they still had that today. It keeps things more organized. (There's a local reason behind these types of things most of the time.)
Shirley McClain was SO cute, sexy, unusual, funny and such a great actress! She was also one of the VERY few (like 2) female members of the infamous, hard-partying Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. Sister of Warren Beatty. 🎉❤
Shirley MaClaine was hot
The Trouble with Harry was another Hitchcock gem with Shirley McClain
She's really hot in Artists and Models, but most of the time, eh, she's just OK.
@@thomast8539 I'd have to look beyond all that "Out on a Limb: stuff, and for me that's just a bridge too far.
@@thomast8539 that's not what "broad" means.
Another classic you need to see is Father Goose! One of Cary Grant's last films, but one of his favorite roles.
Oh, yes, Father Goose is Fun!
@@kinokind293 As an extra added helping of pure class, it also features Trevor Howard.
@@melenatorr And doing dry comedy! You have to hire actors capable of holding their own against someone like Cary Grant!
"You're all crooks and you're the crookiest!"
Yeah! Father Goose is outstanding!
Baxter perpetuates the lie about being a "serial date" for several reasons.
At the time this story is set (early '60's), if his landlady found out he was allowing other people to use his apartment for sex, he could get evicted, whereas if he's the one entertaining women, it's his own business and he'd be left alone. (There's a similar reason why all the executives want to use his apartment rather than go to a hotel - besides the fact they're all cheap, at that time adultery was a prosecutable crime in NYC, and most hotels had a house detective who, if they suspected a couple checking in were not married, would tip off the cops, so they needed someplace private like an apartment.)
More importantly, he likes being perceived as a lothario by his neighbors because he is such a boring nebbish in real life. Baxter is one of thousands of ordinary men in a huge office that most wouldn't give a second glance to, and at the beginning of the movie, he has no real personality of his own. Notice how he keeps borrowing phrases he hears from other people, like adding "-wise" to nouns the way his superiors do, or bellowing "O-U-T" to Miss Kubelik the way the barkeep kicked him out. His logic is that to use the manner of those who dominate him will elevate him. So even if his neighbors think he's a heel for having so many women (as they perceive it), it's better than being a nobody.
But he does have an innate morality to him that, his eviction fears aside, he sticks to the lie because he accepts that the price of looking like a heartbreaker is that people will disapprove, to the point that someone is gonna punch him in the nose. And when he does get hit and Dr. Dreyfus says, "You had it coming," he agrees with him spiritually - he may not have been a cheater with women, but he aspired to material and sexual power rather than be a good person, and now he's wiser. Plus, if he did tell about Miss Kubelik being involved with his boss, it would put her in a bad light with her brother-in-law, since he already has a low opinion of her (he berates her saying "Your sister thinks you're a lady"), so by accepting being the villain and not passing the buck, he's "taken one for the team" and that's why he says he's feeling no pain from the punch. It may be the first time he's done something completely selfless.
The timeline for the movie is arguably a few months. It begins around September, since the summer vacation affair is being referenced as still very recent. It jumps to Christmas Eve, when Miss Kubelik overdoses, then everything else unfolds during that week between Xmas and the 31st.
As for the ending, I don't think they get together. They're just going to be better company for each other this particular New Year's Eve night, and that's good enough.
Some trivia: the elevator supervisor with the clicker, seen in this reaction at 20:52, is played by Lynn Cartwright who years later would be the older version of Geena Davis in A League of Their Own. Cartwright was also in two bizarre cult films, The Wasp Woman and Queen of Outer Space.
The older version of Davis except for the voice (Davis's voice was dubbed in).
@@HuntingViolets Cool. I did not know that.
Perfect script, perfect cast, perfect balance between romance and drama, and a perfect and extremely satisfying ending. Not to mention one of, if not the most gorgeous cinematography in black and white that I've seen. If you do not finish this movie with a smile from ear to ear there's something really wrong. 62 years later and still one of the greatest creations of humanity, cinema-wise. Thank you Billy Wilder
Thank you.
Nice statement, text- wise...
😆
The Apartment is one of my secret favorites. I relate to Jack Lemon's character, and always wanted a girl like Shirley McClain in this.
MacLaine. Born Beaty.
Why is it a secret favourite?
I think you're under estimating the characters at the end. I always assumed that she grew more fond of Jack Lemon's character as he cared for her and less impressed by the indifference of Fred McMurray's character. When she finds out all the facts from him on New Year's eve, she realizes who she really loves. I think you may just be frustrated by her constant bad choices. Although Billy Wilder is one of the all-time great directors, his films were always a bit dark. He left Europe ahead of the Nazis, after all. I'd say this one is 80% dark/20% comedy, where Some Like it Hot is 10/90. His Irma La Deuce is more comedy, but Double Indemnity (also starring Fred McMurray) is as serious as a heart attack. So is Stalag 17. Witness for the Prosecution is a great courtroom drama. The Fortune Cookie is another great Wilder/Lemon comedy. So much excellent work over so many years!
That's a copy of a Tiffany Studios lamp. A real Tiffany lamp, from the early 1900's, now, would sell for at least $30,000+.
Another interesting appliance in the movie was that electric blanket on Baxter's bed. If I'm not mistaken, judging by the look of the control box it's a General Electric model, circa 1950. Those were real electric blankets, built to just go and go, unlike the shoddy third world crap they sell nowadays.
Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture.
What a shitty reaction to a beautiful ending and a wonderful film. One of my favourites. The good guy got the girl in the end and for your information, the bad guy like Sheldrake, a married man, chased Fran. She didn't choose him, but in the end, she chose Baxter, her knight in shining armour who came to her rescue. She found a man who not only genuinely loved her, but wouldn't hurt her. Who wouldn't? Better than the cheap thrills she was giving Sheldrake. This film deserved the Best Picture Oscar that it won.
I don't think you have a romantic bone in your body.
The first elevators, especially in department stores, were activated by pushing down on a big metal lever (usually done by a woman wearing white gloves). When it hit your floor, she would pull a grating back and let you out. Even when the more modern elevators came around, the tradition of an elevator operator was well established.
I kept thinking that the boss on the 27th floor, played by Fred MacMurray, needed to stay home with his 3 sons.
JW20mt -
And play with Flubber.
The story you wanted is “Sabrina”, whether you watch the 1954 Billy Wilder version with Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey Hepburn (her third major role) or the 1995 Sydney Pollock version with Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, and Julia Ormond. Billy Wilder is the principal writer either way, and both are excellently done. In fact, you should do them back to back as a set-you won't regret it.
good films those agree you should watch
@@PhillipHoskyn Oh I love this movie. Roman Holiday however is my favorite Audrey Hepburn directed by William Wyler and also starring Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert. It's funny and very deeply romantic in a beautiful way.
DAWN would enjoy these two Billy Wilder films: *SABRINA* (1954) and *STALAG 17* (1953) both starring the actor of Sunset Boulevard (William Holden) which Dawn liked very much.
Watch the one with Hepburn. Wilder directed it.
I loved Sabrina but only the 1954 version. The remake was not that good. Sydney Pollak even admitted that he never should have made it. Julia Ormond is fine as an actress but can't compare to Audrey Hepburn.
I wouldn't be too angry about the ending, Dawn. This is what you would call an open ended movie (like "The Thing") because Baxter said he loves her and she said nothing back. Their relationship may not work out because she's young and impetuous, but then again, maybe they both get their heads on straight and it all ends happily ever after.
Yeah, liked that "let's play cards" ending, It's not a forced "let's kiss and be together forever." but also not the modern "everyone is sad, a dog dies, the end." ending. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, cookiewise.
Best description of the ending. They aren’t together but they are both pulling away from being taken advantage of. It’s a hopeful ending, not necessarily a romantic ending.
The ending is just right. They are two misfits who finally decide to man and woman up, accept that their horrible decisions and actions are soul destroying, and move on into reality. Maybe they'll prove unsuitable, but they've taken steps to see things as they really are. The "she's in love with idea that someone loves her" is all very trendy therapeutic, but it doesn't fit the characters here. She tried to off herself. Wilder had a certain moral sense, he wasn't interested in totally lost characters.
No cleaning. Sex wasn't as dirty back then.
My all time favorite film. Adore it. Shirley MacLaine is such a fox
Jack Lemmon was a wonderful and funny actor especially the later comedy films he done with Walter matthau ie the 2 odd couple films and the 2 grumpy old men films.
That thing on the desk is called a Rolodex. For keeping phone numbers and addresses
Dawn - your choice of movies is FANTASTIC!
A charming Billy Wilder film (in color!) is the 1955 “The Seven Year Itch” based on a play. Marilyn is in it and is adorable. It is not as overall hilarious as Some Like it Hot, but has many really funny scenes, lines and characters. Recommended!
She wouldn't like _The Seven Year Itch._ It's about a married man who fantasies he's having an affair with the woman who lives above his apartment who happens to be Marilyn Monroe. She'd hate it.
@@gaynor1721 maybe. But since when are fantasies not part of life? Don’t most people have fantasies? Is it wrong to have fantasies? He learns at the end that his heart truly lies with his wife and his “7 year itch” is gone without ever actually doing anything. It also seems pretty clear that despite his fantasies, he would never act on it.
Another thing about the ending. . .Billy Wilder said that at the end of the story, build up the action to the last big event. . .Then that's it. End it. Don't hang around with the characters going over things and explaining things. Just end it and get out. And that's what happened with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine at the end. Wilder was saying that maybe they've really found each other, and they'll see how things work out. The End. No deep discussion of what this all means for them. Like in real life, they'll just see how it goes. And as a viewer I'm left hoping it works. But Wilder just ends it and you're left with your own impression of whether it will work or not. Love your reactions, they're so much better than the others I've watched lately!
The thing on the desk is a Rolodex. It was for holding all one's addresses, contacts, phone numbers etc.
It was the BEST ending ever. She was in love with the married boss but Shelldrake didn't give a sh*t about Shirley Maclaine. So she went back to Jack Lemmon who loved her and in the end she did fall in love with him (even though that's after the movie ends but you know they lived happily ever after.) This movie is about couples where the love is one way but maybe that's enough. You should check out a young Shirley Maclaine in the Hitchcock movie The Trouble With Harry. This is a Wilder classic!
She finally understood his love for her, and allowed herself to stop being with "the wrong type of man" and looks to give herself the chance to love "the right type of man"...
The story ends with the Promise of Happiness for both of them...
2:12 - "That's your boss. That's your boss? That's your boss."
Wow, great reaction to the reveal, in three different intonations !!!
In MY version of the movie, Fran loves Buddy. It takes her a long time to realise it because she's getting over her miserable affair with Mr Sheldrake (Sheldrake was Billy Wilder's lucky name, he used it in at least three movies -- also he kept making movies about insurance, which is weird -- see also Double Indemnity and The Fortune Cookie.)
Knowing how you like Westerns, I gotta recommend Little big man. It's epic, and possibly Dustin Hoffman's finest role.
Yes! A strong recommend for Little Big Man! 👌
Great suggestion.
@deepermind4884 it blows me away that Little big man is so unknown. It's easily one of the 10 best movies ever.
@RobWayland it's one of the best movies ever, but almost nobody knows about it.
I think what she found, in the end, was a friend, and someone who also gave up being "taken" by the same person she was "taken" in by. Playing gin rummy is not falling in love. It's just they took the same step...and on New Year's Eve.
I just love the enthusiasm you show whatever it is yer watching, so thank you for that. I hope one day to see your big grin while watching Moonstruck and Four Weddings & A Funeral.
Thank you so much for reacting to movies that so few other channels do, especially The Apartment, which is one of my all time favorites. I even liked your take on the ending. As much as I love this movie, and as much as I want those two together, in the back of my mind I have never been as convinced as I want to be of Fran's feelings for Baxter. Keep up the great work.
Loved this movie and love your reaction..maybe she doesn't deserve him but he gets what he wants and deserves..I personally think they're perfect for each other..
Two more things.
1. This is the official New Year's Eve film.
In the same vein in which
Its a Wonderful Life is the Christmas movie,
and Saving Private Ryan is the Memorial Day movie.
2. Ms. Kubelik when asked at the end; "What about Mr. Sheldrake?"
Fran: "WE'LL send him a fruitcake every Christmas."
Thats her way of telling Baxter she loves him.
They are TOGETHER.
Possibly one of the best films ever made (Certainly in my top 10) with one of the most famous last lines in movie history.
Just so you understand, this was a real thing people in New York did. These married executives did not live in New York city, they took the train into the city everyday. And a lot of workers would have apartments in the city and their bosses would use their apartments for "dates". They used to cover this topic on the television show Mad Men a lot.
Well, she thought Sheldrake was what she wanted and she went through a lot of shit pursuing him and she had a (slim) reason to believe she found security. She threw it away for Baxter. I take your point that it may not last but you have to admit that Baxter, at least for now, is one happy boy. I saw this shortly after it was released when I was 9 years old. I fell madly in love with Shirley McClain. One of my favorite Christmas
movies.
It's MacLaine. I'm surprised how many people in the comments section spell her name wrong and all the same wrong spelling.
@@gaynor1721 This is surprising me too--especially coming from people who are such fans of hers.
Fran is being more careful at the end of the movie "relationshipwise". She's not telling Baxter she loves him until she feels safe to do so. Hence: "Shut up and deal".
You are absolutely right about that. Fran is now in uncharted territory and wants to take it slow.
I love how several elements of this film are echoed in THE HUDSUCKER PROXY. Slow corporate ladder/30 seconds back down, New Year's Eve, etc.
Couldn't disagree with you more about the ending. It was well established that the 2 main characters caught up in situations not of their choosing because they always get pushed around. They are put together when both are smack dab in the middle of their dysfunctional lives. Speaking as someone like them, it's very difficult to admit to yourself that you ade in a dysfunctional relationship let alone have the strength to extricate yourself. And through just a few days they extricate themselves and find each other. One if my favorite Xmas movies
I've always thought Shirley MacLain was very pretty when she was young.. (Also, did you know she's actor, Warren Beatty's sister?)
One of my favorite movies and actors: Jack Lemon :)))
I think all this poor girl wanted was someone to love and someone who would love her back. I think she truly loved and liked Bud. Women who believe they don`t deserve better always pick the wrong men. Fran was convinced that someone like Bud could never love her. By saving her life and caring for her so wholeheartedly, he proved his true love for her.
Of course, she fell in love with him... Who wouldn`t?!
That's the best ending that nice guys can hope for. Life isn't fair and people don't get what they deserve.
B.S.
I know from experience.
Another option is “Ninotchka” (1939) a comedy written by Billy Wilder but directed by the man who Billy considered his great mentor-Ernst Lubitsch. (Another dark-ish comedy with some very famous lines.)
I'm a voracious fan of the movies. I was born in 1969, and so i grew up in the 1970s, onwards, going to the movie theaters once a week, every week from the 1970s-1980s, as well as watching all sorts of movies on the TV. Movies from the 1910s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, etc.
What amazes me about your channel are the movies you're seeing for the very first time. Not only have I seen about 90 percent of the movies you list, but Ive seen most of them at least dozens of times over the years. Some of them I saw in the movie theaters when they first came out (such as Superman, National Lampoons Vacation, The Thing, etc.)
I guess I have a hard time grasping the fact that there are generations of people out there that, even if they're movie fans, are seeing many of these movies for the very first time. I would have thought everyone else has seen all the movies I've seen, especially the really classic classics like The Apartment, Rear Window, Some Like It Hot, Duck Soup, A Night At The Opera, Miracle on 34th Street, Casablanca, Frankenstein, The Exorcist, etc.
Another B&W Billy Wilder movie where morally ambiguous relationships take a central roll is Witness for the Prosecution. Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich star and it's fantastic! You won't be disappointed!
The file wheel on dude's desk is called a rolodex. It contains many cards with names addresses and telephone numbers. They were still in use throughout my childhood in the fifties and into the sixties. I am particularly fond of the rolodex and it's practical use.
to add to your Wilder range, a darker, sordid, classic film noir is his "Double indemnity".
17:10 Chicken noodle soup has been called "Jewish Penicillin".
Oops, correction! Didn't mean to misspell a good Scot's name! It's "Fred MacMurray".
You would enjoy,"The African Queen" with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.
Always enjoy your reactions
👍👍👍👍👍
Fran had a revelation. What's so hard to believe?
Love is where you find it. The two leads grew up a lot. Fran realized she met her “nice guy” already. She also realized that he grew up and broke with Sheldrake. Why can’t she?
The ending doesn't really say that they just became a couple like that maybe they start off from that point and take it slow enough to learn if they should be a couple
Wow. Pretty harsh, Dawn Marie.
You don't think it might be possible that after constantly picking the wrong kind of guys, she saw that he loved her for herself and was just the kind of guy she needed?
I always thought it was a nice ending.
Now My Favorite Wife, Roman Holiday, Dial M for Murder, and Rope. Double Indemnity and Sabrina. Hopscotch. Mr. Roberts and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter
One of those movies that made a big impact on me as a young fellow. I was sprouting into my teens when I saw it first and Shirley Maclaine utterly captivated me, so I am sure that is a part of why I remember it so fondly :) But why is it I remember the champagne bottle popping scene so clearly? :mysterious X-Files music plays:
Lol
This was one of my favorite classic movies. A bit dry to start, but hits the heart punch well.
Called a Rolodex. You put a name, address, phone number and other info on the little cards and put them in the Rolodex, in alphabetical order.
Man, you’re harder on Fran than you are on Baxter, who’s selling out to be a big shot. Actually, both have learned some hard lessons so I think they have a chance, but I’m a romantic and Shirley MacLaine is adorable in this! Great movie, thanks for sharing.
Elevators in the old days were not necessarily automatic. They needed operators to drive them, make stops correctly, etc.
i'm a fifty year old american dude. i have never heard of new york penicillin. i googled it. thanks down marie.
The elevator doors back then were not automatic like they are now.
So, people would forget to shut the door, and then the elevator would be stuck.
We had the same problem with the freight elevator at work. Normally, only certain people operated it, so they always made sure the doors shut.
But, when we'd have contractors in the building, and the passenger elevator was down, we'd have to put a man to operate the elevator, or we'd have to constantly walk the stairs to shut the doors to get the elevator back in service.
You totally missed the point of ending. This is a love story at the end. They both were perfect for each other, she just didn’t see it until the end
Fred MacMurray, who played Sheldrake, drew the ire by a number of women after this movie. They really hated his character. One woman threatened him with bodily harm. Now, that's acting!
His daughter told of a time a woman slapped him. She then said “That wasn’t a kids movie.” He said “No, it wasn’t.” He had done so many family friendly movies that people had come to expect it of him. The lady had thought since he was in it, it must be alright for kids, and taken her child to see it. After she left, Fred said “Never again.” He had only done the role because Billy Wilder asked him to. Oddly enough, some of his best performances were playing darker roles, and those movies were very successful.
Dammit, Dawn, now you've got me questioning my love for this movie and the ending line, "Shut up and deal." I interpret it as no need to talk about love, because it's obvious how they both feel.
You're right, Dawn didn't get the ending. "Shut up and deal" means they don't have to explain themselves to each other. They've both done really shi**y things. She almost died on account of it. He's thrown away his livelihood. She didn't go through that to continue deluding herself. Wilder wasn't that kind of storyteller.
You should watch the Best Years of Our Lives. It's William Wyler. Not Billy Wilder. This is. a great movie about 3 men returning home after WW2 . It's one of the best movies ever.
Love the charm of old black and white films, this is a classic.
The cards on the roller each have a name, address, and phone number on it. It's called a Rolodex.
I've no idea but I think the point was that Fran realized that she did love Baxter. It was the 1960s though, so they had very different ideas about relationships.
Why are people down, and or changing this ending in the comments?
Ms. Kubelik is running towards the apartment at the end TO BE with Baxter.
Not to be his friend, or 'good company'.
Ms. Kubelik told Baxter after her suicide attempt, "Why cant I fall for somebody nice, like you""
The guy she wants, is not the guy she NEEDS, the guy she cant 'see'.
The guy she cant see is right smack in front of her.
So, she becomes the first woman in world history to ditch the bad boy for THE NICE GUY.
Thats what makes this film realistic.
A nebbishy nice guy is NEVER any girl's first choice.
Guys like that have a very difficult time with women.
While the bad boys have them at their beck and call.
Hes only thought of, if ever, years later by women who think back and refelct,
'That was a good guy, I couldve been with, but I never gave him a second thought'.
Ms. Kubelik is not letting the nice guy get away.
And for once,.............. the universe is in balance.
But, this only happens in the movies.
Polyamory is what you’re thinking of. Here’s what I think about this movie. It’s a drama, and it is wise to place it in the context of the time it was made. Back in those days, women very much sought out men not for love but for security and prospects. She fell “in love” not for him but for security. When she learned that Baxter was actually a more secure bet than Sheldrake then she chose Baxter. Baxter actually loved Fran romantically. Fran “loved” Baxter for his security.
"Back in those days"?? Women have always, & very much still want men who are financially stable & can provide a secure, comfortable life.
There is a musical version of this as a play. One of my favorite songs is I'll Never Fall in Love Again. "What do you get when you kiss a girl? You get enough germs to catch pneumonia and after you do, she'll never phone you. I'll never fall in love again. I think the ending shows that both of them mature and realize they like each other and enjoy each other's company. So the movie ends with them playing gin rummy instead of footsie. They want to get to know each other and have a normal rather than sexual attraction that can grow into something permanent.
Polyamory is not “wrong” and coupledom is not “wrong”, but yes, people get hurt in polyamorous relationships, but people get hurt in coupled relationships.
The outside staircase in front of the building was also used in When Harry met Sally. Both plots have a link. I wont spoil it, but you should watch these two movies back to back especially on New Years Eve
4:43 That thing is called a Rolodex, and it's basically the contacts list on your cell phone, but the '60s version, lol. You store business cards and other contact info in it.
Those are tiffany lamps. One of those tiffany lamps today is worth anywhere between $3,000 and $12,000.
When i read 'The Apartment' i thought in my head of 'The Odd Couple', don't know why but i think you would probably like that one more than this. 😊
Lemmon was in the movie of "The Odd Couple" and the actor who played Fran's brother in law is in the TV series of it.